Did you usher Halloween swiftly out the door… only to have Christmas sneak in as quickly as Halloween left?
If you celebrate the holidays in your piano studio, you’ll know that nothing quite breaks up the long winter months like the Christmas season; carols, fun activities, parties, recitals, treats… for piano students it just doesn’t get any better.
Capitalizing on this holiday excitement is a great way to inspire home practice and pump up the motivation and excitement in your studio.
So, as a couple of “Christmas Music Fanatics” we’re getting a head-start on the fun with the piece we’re sharing today!
A Printable Christmas Tune For Your Teens (Or For You!)
Today we wanted to kick off the season of giving (what can I say… piano teachers start early!) by sharing a show-stopping teen recital piece with all of our Teach Piano Today readers (the download is after the video).
Three Ships is a Christmas Pop Piano Solo that is destined to be a holiday favorite with your students. If you’re a PianoBookClub member whose students went crazy for The Silver Screen Playbook and The Guardians of Arranmore, then this piece will be right in their wheelhouse.
And now… on to the music! Check out the video preview of “Three Ships” and then keep reading to download the sheet music.
If Three Ships sounds like just what you need for a rockin’ Christmas recital, here it is, ready to print and play.
But wait! We’d also love to hear from you in the comments below… What other piano pieces from Teach Piano Today or PianoBookClub will be making an appearance in your holiday recitals?
We’ll be choosing five commenters at random to receive our book Rollicking Reindeer: Student-Teacher Duets To Reinforce Rhythm (and don’t worry, if you already own it you can choose a different book instead!). Comment before 12:00am PST on Sunday, November 8th, 2015 to be entered.
This year I’m having my first ever Christmas studio recital so I decided to go super traditional and only do Christmas music. But, almost my entire Halloween recital last month was from the Halloween Bag o’ Tricks. The kids loved it! 😀
We are featuring Jungle Bells wih 2 sibling students performing the duet!!! It is so much fun to practice it! I love your books!
Where can I find Jungle Bell’s?
What in the world? Thank you SO much for this awesome piece, and you look gorgeous playing it. Again, you manage to GIVE me something on the exact day I need it. I have 3 teen boys coming today & was trying to figure out what to give them. I’m going to use the most recent Vamp Battles with all of my teens in our Spring Recital…can’t wait. Thank you again.
Love this piece! I gave Taefa’s Theme to a 7th grader yesterday and she was so excited. She said, “O my gosh!! I can play this, and it sounds good! ” So great to see her excited about music again!!
I have almost all my concert pieces from TPT and PBC. some of my favourites are the Bluesy Kids Duet and the first 2 pieces from the Silverscreen Playbook (Bluestone and Moonshot). I can’t wait ’til the 6th of December to wow the families!
Wow! I love this piece! I just recently began receiving your email and have not yet really looked at your music. I look forward to seeing and using more. Thanks!
“Wave” from the Silverscreen Playbook was a big hit for my teen students, and it will be played in my recital this month as well as “Mystery at the Mansion” from “Fearless Fortissimo.” The tunes are so catchy and enjoyable! My students have learned a lot from playing them!
And thank you so much for sharing this new piece! It is so much fun!
Thank you so much for this! I have two transfer teens who were never taught to sight read. This appears to be a perfect piece for sight reading work. I’m a new subscriber; looking forward to seeing more of you!
My students love playing your piano pieces. It is so great to find music that is “cool” enough for them to play. Thanks
We just had our Halloween recital. Several students played from Halloween Bag o’ Tricks and everyone loved it. I also had 1 play from the Wunderkeys collection. 🙂
Thank you so much for this lovely music. I plan to play it at the Christmas gathering with my adult students.
Thank you for the beautiful sheet music. It is lovely!
Beautiful song. I am so excited to have one of my students play it. I have several boy students that love your fearless fortissimo songs. Thank you so much. I need to join the club. !!
Thanks so much for your beautiful new piece! I know my teens will love it – they have been going crazy for the Silver Screen Playbook, and I’m pretty sure that collection is responsible for rescuing a few kids from the brink of “moving on” from piano. I am a relatively new Piano Music Club member so I don’t have any of your Christmas music yet, but you are officially the favourite composer of my studio so I can’t wait to see it! Thanks again for everything that you share!
Hi Ellen – thrilled beyond belief to hear that The Silver Screen was a “turn around” book for some of your teens. It’s so cool what “just the right piece” can accomplish – and so powerful when it means keeping them in piano lessons! Very honored to be the composer of choice for your studio – thank you 🙂 you made my night!
For Halloween- we used your Bag O Tricks and loved it!! I know I have a few teens who would love this pop solo! 🙂
Tonight is recital night! Into the Woods will be played! Wonderful! The young man who is playing it will do a great job! Thank you for making it available! Just printed Three Ships. Another good one!
Best of luck at the recital Robin! Happy to hear In The Woods will be a part of it!
This sounds great! Several of my students have been enjoying Silverscreen Playbook, Fearless Fortissimo, and My Piano Teacher Thinks She is a Ninja. Now to choose who will get to play Three Ships!
Becoming a part of your piano and game club has revolutionized my studio. I have 9 teachers who work for me and each one has told me how much their students love the music and fun games. I’ve started monthly master classes and they are being met with rave reviews. Thank you for all the time you put in to helping others. Keep it up.
Wow…. amazing song, amazing video! Thank you so much Andrea.
This is my first TPT Christmas solo. I don’t have any students who have gotten this far–yet, but I’m saving if for next year. I have a particular student in mind who should be ready for it then and it will be the perfect thing! All the students who have Fearless Fortissimo love it, boys and girls alike, and so do I. Students who are reluctant to play with expression because it sounds artificial in some pieces play Fearless Fortissimo with great emotion–they are so engaged with the music. Thanks for writing music kids want to play!
That’s so pretty. I will use it at our Recital. I would love to see all the traditional carols and Christmas songs in the Pianobookclub.☺
Last year we had lots of Rollickin’ Reindeer duets and Jungle Bells, but this year we are having a “Winter Recital” (instead of Christmas only), so students were given choices between Christmas pieces or just regular pieces that they liked. And one student picked two pieces from Fearless Fortissimo, so he’ll be playing them at the concert!
This is fantastic – thanks so much, Andrea! I think it will be perfect to play at a nursing home playing event, where students play for the residents.
They will love this, too. 🙂
My students tried monster mash ups and a group of 9 year olds got together for a play off after treat or treating at a Halloween party. Each played their version. Their idea, not mine.
Nice arrangement of Three ships, very doable! Nice rich full sound. A standard with a twist, thank you….hmmmm who shall I give this piece to???
Thanks for your many freebies! I love them. I have students play songs from Fearless Fortissimo at every recital! They love them!
Love it! Will be sharing it with some of my students this week! Almost all of my recitals feature at least one piece from the BookClub. Favourites have been Silverscreen Playbook, Technique Ninja, The Note Nabber, and Guardians of Aranmore. Love them.
Thank you Andrea, for so generously sharing this piece with us! I have the same dilemma as several previous commenters….who gets to be the lucky student to perform this piece? At my last recital we had five Arranmore pieces that were performed. I’m pretty sure “In the Woods” will end up in this year’s December recital at least once. Thanks for writing music that is so appealing to my teen students! 🙂
Awesome video, great song… TY! My older students love using octaves and power chords. For Thanksgiving vacation there will be 10+ kids visiting skilled nursing facilities, playing Vamp Battles, especially ‘The Griffins’ Duel.’ Duets have fostered great ear and rhythm skills for students. We will prep for Christmas now. Excited!
What a great piece for Christmas Recital. The video is very helpful and you look fabulous playing it!
I have a student performing a piece from The Guardians of Arranmore. I also have someone ding a piece from Fearless Fortissimo. I was really hoping you would do some Christmas music! I can’t wait to have a few of my students try it out. 🙂
Excellent!! I will definitely use this for my Christmas recital. Also, Keeva’s Theme, which isnt seasonal, but had been a huge hit with my teen students. ….At least one of my younger kids will play something from Rollicking Reindeer. (I am in the middle of assigning recital repertoire).
Love this. We’ve already picked all our recital music in my studio but I will be giving this to several students to learn at their lessons. I might just have to play this myself at the recital though!
This is wonderful! Thank you for all your creativity and hard work!
Thank you for this new piece. You are amazing. My fall recital was on Oct. 29. I called it “Sorting out the Seasons.” Each student did a Halloween song and a Christmas song. For their Halloween song, they had to quickly put on a simple halloween costume, like a witch hat or a dracula cape. For their Christmas song, each had to don a Santa hat or an ugly Christmas sweater, etc. I had everyone’s name in a halloween cauldron and in an oversized Christmas ball. I chose the first name from whichever container, then when that person was done, he chose the next name out of whichever container. I did have a printed program, it just didn’t go in that order. The students loved choosing the next performer and they were very good sports changing costumes. Each family brought a plate of their favorite halloween or Christmas treat for refreshments. The recital was very well received! We had songs as simple as “The Ghost of Tom” and as complex as “Toccata in D Minor” for Halloween songs. The Phantom by Melody Bober was the most popular duet. ‘Haunted Organ” from the “Ghost and Mr. Chicken” was also very fun. For Christmas songs, choices ranged from a super simple “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” to a great version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Lots of fun! Also, each student answered the questions “My favorite Christmas tradition is….” and “The thing I like most about Halloween in….” Those statements brought lots of laughter and smiles from the audience.
I forget to say that one student performed “Schlopizoodles” for her Halloween song. It was perfect!
THanks I love this! You have the best arrangements. We just did a Halloween rectial all from you comic series and the kids totally loved it.
This is so pretty and energetic. I know I’ll have some very happy students when they hear this. Thank you for all you offer. You have been life savers to me with all the fresh, fun, creative ideas you share all the time!
Love this! Perfect day to get it too… it will be in someone’s hands by supper time! I’m using Jungle Bells this year, and a few of the songs from “Rollicking Reindeer”
What a great piece! Thank you for sharing!
I love this piece. You inspire me to be so much more creative in the studio thank you!!!
Lots of fun stuff! Love this piece! Thanks so much! I know I have several teens working through the Silver Screen (Wolf and Shelter were a big hit for our Halloween Showcase). We are recording a CD this year as a Christmas gift, and those will be on there. We also had a local Festival, and there were a few that popped up from Piano Book Club, from the Silver Screen and Guardians. Our Christmas will be traditional Christmas, but I forgot all about Jungle Bells.. I may have to see if I have some students able to do that, because we are having lots of Duets this year. Some of my younger students may use Rollicking Reindeer too.
Thank you, Andrea!
We are in the fourth last week of our academic year here in South Africa. With all recitals done and exams starting soon, this is the time of the year that not much practicing happens. All of my colleagues are whining about their students not being motivated, but I am walking around with a big smile on my face. Thanks to “Vamp Battles” and the “Rise and shine” challenge. In return the children have challenged me to go to the gym every morning before school to sweat it out on the treadmill while they are practicing piano. Getting up at 5am to do my daily workout is hard, but going to school experiencing that about all of my students are keeping up with the challenge is such a motivation. (And the feeling that I am done at the gym for the day)
Thank you so much for all your excellent material.
Love you guys!
Hello Zelna, from a fellow South African teacher! so glad I’m not alone here
This is perfect! I have a student who LOVED Guardians of Arranmore (Devlin’s Theme is his favorite piece of all time), so this will be exactly what he needs for Christmas!
Bless your SOULS! This is a lovely piece and totally adore you for sharing.
Thank you this, it’s beautiful.
And I love the white piano. 🙂
I love your music!. It is so upbeat and I know just which students will love it as well. Thank-you for all you teach, and share.
This is a great intermediate piece! I’m definitely going to share it with a couple of my students. The video was nice too!
Thank you so much for making such wonderful pieces and making them free! I just moved so all my students are beginners and this piece is too much for them to learn by December for our Christmas performance class, but I may just spice up the party and play it myself!
Thanks for this great new piece! I have a really small studio, and don’t have any students who are ready for this, yet, but I will enjoy playing it myself.
This is a great piece. Thank you. Also, have the November Piano Book Club selections gone out yet? I received my notification of payment but haven’t seen the pieces. Or am I dreaming…lol.
Hi Trish… just checked your subscription… your books get delivered on the 22nd of each month 🙂 If you want them to come earlier, email me and I’ll change your renewal date. Have a great day!
I love the piece and the video. I have an adult student who has a white piano and only likes to play upbeat music. This is perfect for her! I can’t wait to share the video and music with her. Thank you!
Beautiful!! Thanks so much for gifting it. I’m excited to play it myself.
Here’s the fun factor for my studio Christmas Concert this year: I have 3 students from one family. Two will be playing several of the duets from “Rollicking Reindeer” since one is at the intermediate level and can play the “teacher part”. But the fun will really kick in when the third sibling (only 6 years old) will come in during “Vixen” and add in some notes of her own! (Well, notes that we pick out in advance:) Hopefully the audience will love it.
Beautiful arrangement! I would love to share the video and print option on my facebook page without sharing the entire blog post, is that possible? TIA for your help!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this blog! I read every post!
Have a great day!
Hi Jean – the youtube link is https://youtu.be/Sbnti0j9VFg which will let you share it.
The download link is: https://www.teachpianotoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Three-Ships.pdf
If you post these two links it should let you do it 🙂
Thank you.
Please email me if ^ is possible 🙂 Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! I am new to your book club, but already have students enjoying some of your songs especially “In the Woods” and the lead sheet “Boss”
Beautiful piece! I will surely use it, my students live your music! Thank you for sharing it!
I meant to write “love your music” sorry for the typo.
They can live the music too Caitlin! Both are equally flattering 😉 thank you!
This piece is awesome! I’ve already spent about two hours today playing it. Ok, I can’t manage the last half and it’s way slower than it’s supposed to be… but it’s awesome!
Thank you this is one of my very favourite carols! My studio has a number of teen students – they’re such a wonderful group and age to teach. Your music has made teaching piano ever so much fun!! One student loving Vamp Battles and it will be performed in the near future. Thanks again, Paula
This song is perfect for my teens for the holiday portion of the recital. Currently, my students are working on a variety of music for the recital. Everyone is required to make their own song thanks to Muttzart or Tinker. They are also adding background sounds and/or music to those songs by writing out parts or using different apps we have available. Some of the students are taking existing songs from the beat box manifesto and using the different sounds and beats from their own keyboards or apps to enhance the songs but to also keep the steady beat. I will say, practice time has sky rocketed when I told the students they could use the beats and sounds on their keyboards or apps (its been a great motivational tool and works PERFECT with the Beat Box Manifesto because they want to try out different beats and sounds to see which fits the best). Thanks again for everything!
I love the tune “I Saw Three Ships” and this is a great arrangement. Thanks so much!
I have no idea how you write so much music!!! But thank you! This is a beautiful piece and I love the video….. Must be your children in the snow. My students love Guardians of Aaranmore, Fearless Fortissimo, and the Silver Screen book.
We just did the Trick or Treat ensemble piece at nursing home home recital, followed by four other “parent shows” in The studio last week. The favorite piece of everyone is this one. They all want to be narrator. Each participant wore a glow stick necklace. Please write more pieces in this style!
Hi Louise – do you mean the “soundscape” piece from The Bag O’Halloween Tricks book? Just wanting to be sure I know exactly what you’re requesting 😉
Sorry I didn’t get the title right, Andrea. It was “the haunted house” from 2014. Narrator starts out, “there is an old abandoned house at the end of our road”
My next recital is a Fall Holiday recital in December, and I expect several of my students to choose “Monster Mash-up” for one of their recital pieces! We had a great time with Halloween in my studio this year, thanks to Andrea and Trevor!! With Christmas coming up right away, I can’t wait to show “Three Ships” to some of my teens. Maybe it will make the program too… 🙂
Can’t wait to give this to one of my teens; Adventures of Fortissimo has captured one of my young students already! Thanks!!
I have one student learning Monster Mash-up! It is a great motivator for him. Thanks for the beautiful new piece!
It is not a holiday recital , but will be shortly afterwards, just as we Ontarians are entering our february Blahs season. We are planning a Mutterwumps segment with a few students being the chorus and reading the poems. We will draw names as to who gets to play which piece. The Finale will be awarded somehow…details still to be planned, but it be earned.
Recital favorites are In the Woods and Faelan’s Theme. I have had two requests to play these at our holiday recital. The student said In the Woods could be as in “over the river and through the woods ” a Christmas song.
Thanks for another great piece of music. You guys rock.
Such a neat piece!
Andrea this piece is perfecto! I love Stings version of this song and we will be performing this at our carols concert this December. It would be so wonderful if you could do a duet arrangement of this piece with the primo being early elementary so the younger ones can enjoy too it’s fabulous well done!
What a beautiful piece! Thank you for sharing and I look forward to using it. The video was beautiful too!
Awesome song! I know a certain 13-year-old girl who will be very happy! She played In the Woods last recital.
This is my first Christmas arrangement from you. Just beginning to discover your music. Will definitely add this one to my list for the students to choose from.
Thank you so much! I always love your ideas and everything you post!!! MUCH appreciated!!! Merry Christmas!!!!
Joy
Love all your music! I have a bunch of beginners, so a song or two from Sheldon’s Nuts About Notereading are on the program. Thank you.
Thank you! The piece is wonderful and puts me in the mood for the holiday season. We are having unseasonably warm temperature here and I keep forgetting the holiday season is upon us! Excited to print and read your piece. Have a wonderful weekend and Merry Christmas!
Oh my!!! Your music is so fantastic and creative. I love being a member of the music club. How on earth do you get so much done! Thank you for giving all of us piano teachers a spark of fun!
A favorite with my students is “Text Me!” They think it’s pretty cool to play an entire piece with only their thumbs! :_)
Wow, Andrea, this is such a beautiful piece!
Thanks so much for sharing it~
I have been following your page for awhile now, and just signed up last month for Piano Book Club. I am amazed at my first month’s selection of Vamp Battles! It’s like receiving a gift every month, and I can’t wait to see what is next! I would like to know how I can get ahold of the Silver Screen Playbook that I keep hearing so much about??
Hi Kelly – welcome to PianoBookClub! Happy to hear you are enjoying Vamp Battles 🙂 Our mission is to make it feel like Christmas Morning every month that you open your book email… happy to hear it’s working! The Silver Screen Playbook will be a future re-release. As a continuing member of PianoBookClub you’ll receive a password at the bottom of the email that delivers your new book each month. This gives you access to the re-released book that you can choose to purchase for the same $8 with unlimited printing. Silver Screen will definitely be re-released 🙂
I would love to have a new book. I have a variety of pieces picked including a duet of Carol of the Bells. It’s harder to find pieces teens love and look forward to using this piece you have shared with us. Thank you!
Love this piece!
Andrea, I have been playing this all day. My kids were dancing to it this evening! Thanks, I have a few students in mind that will love this!
Yay! Happy to be a part of a Family Dance Party (those are the best!) Cheers Jenna 🙂
Will be using Three Ships piece with one of my teen boys and your Jungle Bells duet for two sisters. Would love to win the book. Love your duets.
Thank you Angela! So happy to hear you’ll be using our music 🙂
What a lovely arrangement of “I Saw Three Ships”. I’m sure that a few of my students will definitely enjoy performing this Christmas piece!
Fantastic! I was so pleased to find this new piece in my email this morning. I knew exactly the student to give it to for our Christmas recital. He loves it and left his lesson with a huge smile on his face. Thank you for raising my ‘coolness’ factor!
Happy to help with the coolness factor Carol 🙂 Thrilled to hear he loves it and left with a smile – hope it results in lots of home practice!
That was just beautiful! I just joined your community recently, so haven’t used any of your pieces yet, but I will certainly print and use this one, for starters. Thank you!
Hi Jan – welcome! Glad you found us 🙂
Wow! This piece is beautiful! We are including the Cowboy Carol, Sing Alleluja, Song of Joy, and We 3 Kings of Orient Are
I have already used a lot all the Halloween improvisation and the Monster Mash up, so probably one of them is going to be played in the recital, and now the three ships, surely is going to be as well!
Like so many others I am thrilled with this piece and can’t wait to share it with my students. My younger students hear my teens playing your songs and are begging to play them too! Of course they have their own music (also by you) that they enjoy but it sure has them motivated to continue learning there stuff so that they can eventually play these awesome tunes as well.
Thanks for the work that you do. Your arrangements just seem to ‘click’ with my students! I am having a Christmas recital on the last Sunday before Christmas. I don’t have any of your Christmas music yet (although Three ships may likely find it’s way onto the schedule), but some of my beginners will be showcasing several of the delightful Sheldon the Squirrel pieces. And Knock Knock Rock (a real ear-worm) may be performed as well. I just played through your Silver Screen book and I’m sure some of my teens will love the music. I know I do. Keep up the great work!!
Hi Sarah -thrilled to hear that you’re getting such great use out of the PianoBookClub Books 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind words!
Each Christmas, I choose a lesser known Christmas song that becomes the theme of my studio activities. This year we are doing I Saw Three Ships. This version will be perfect for my teen students!
What a coincidence Aleece! 🙂 Happy you can use it in such a coordinated fashion
I love this piece! Maybe next year. My recital is one month from today and my students already have their music. They are all doing at least one duet and one solo. Wish I would have known about the duet book earlier! It’s hard to find good duet music at all levels for Christmas.
what a great piece! Thank you-however, if anyone can help me. I’m in Google Chrome and when I click on the link, and hit print, it just wants to save it. How do I print this out? I know just the student that’s going to play this, and love it!
Hi Yvonne – just make sure you download it first. Some computers prefer to print from a saved version. So – open it, choose file-> save .Close the preview and then re-open from the saved file before printing as usual. Does this help?
Thank you for such a fabulous piece! I also really like ‘Jungle Bells’, and will be using it with my students this year.
Love this, spent the whole morning playing myself just for fun 🙂 – much better than doing the housework I was supposed to be doing
Hi Tonya – happy to provide some housework distraction for you 🙂 Thanks for your kind comment!
Fearless Fortissimo volume one will be making a debut at the next recital. Several of my boy students wanted to perform songs from it so I was like, well let’s just do the whole thing with a narration!
Oh so cool Elizabeth! We’ve had several teachers do this – one even in full costume! 🙂 Hope you have lots of fun with it – a memorable recital for sure!
All NINE of Santa’s Reindeer will be appearing in our Christmas Recital this year, antlers and all! Thanks for Rollicking Reindeer- they all feel like rockstars, I’m having the parents who “gave up on piano” play the teacher part, and now the student practicing record is great!
So cool to hear Holli! 🙂 I love the addition of parents to the duets – what a great idea! Would love to see videos if you think of it – tag me on Facebook!
This is beautiful, Andrea! I can’t wait to give this to my older students! I will definitely upload their performances at our upcoming holiday recitals!! Thank you for sharing your gift!!!
Can’t wait to see the videos! Thanks Bethany 🙂
Love this rendition! Thank you for all your great suggestions and enthusiasm at Teach Piano Today.
Thank you! This song will be perfect for one of my teens!
Thanks! This will be fun, if any students are ready to add anything more to their study list. I’d already assigned Christmas music and ensembles. We will celebrate a week earlier than usual as I have knee replacement on 9th of Dec. So time for learning is shortened, but meantime, lots of great Christmas music. Thanks for sharing this with all of us.
I don’t do a holiday recital but my students do love playing holiday music – Jungle Bells will definitely be making an appearance!
Thank you for your Three Ships. I LOVE playing it myself and look forward to teaching it to my students.
Great to hear Karen! 🙂 So happy you are enjoying it!
What a beautiful arrangement — so lyrical and powerful! I hope you are writing a whole book of new Christmas arrangements… my students and I would love it!
Beautiful video! You’ve inspired me. I’m going to show it to my adult students at our Musical Matinee in two weeks.
You can look forward to another download in the coming week Linderace 🙂
I wish to thank-you so much for Three Ships. My students love it and I love to play it.
I have a student who is “on fire” and craves new music constantly. She had already learned a couple pieces for our Christmas piano party coming up, but when she heard “Three Ships” she immediately loved it and learned it in a week! She’ll be playing it along with her others. I know my other students will really like it, too, and I’ll no doubt use it for many years to come! I really enjoy playing it, too. Thank you!
I’m going to try these free printables, thanks so much!
K-Track 545 will be appearing at my end of year concert. My students get quite excited at the new pieces, particularly if they are the first person to debut it at the concert 🙂